Wednesday, December 19, 2012

When the topic of giving comes up around the holiday season, the word has different connotations for everyone.

Kids immediately think of presents, whether they are the ones giving to their siblings or they are looking forward to what Santa Claus might be giving to them. For adults, however, giving might mean anything from giving your co-workers a gift card to giving your unneeded clothes to charity to giving your time to help others.

This holiday season, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and
club Alumna, Lucille O'Neal (basketball superstar Shaquille O'Neal's
Mom) have teamed up to remind us what it truly means to give through the 2nd Annual Give the Gift of a Great Future campaign.

Over the
years, the focus of the holidays has shifted from appreciating great
family time together to rushing about getting the best deals on gifts.
The true spirit of the holidays, the act of giving, often gets lost.
Not giving the hottest toy or the most updated gadget, but the act of
giving your time and talents to help those in need.

As the second year of the Give the Gift of a Great Future Holiday Campaign, this program was created by BGCA with a focus on creative and easy activities to teach the value of giving back. No age proves too young for children to start learning the importance of giving back, especially during the holiday season!

However, if you've wondered about how to encourage this quality in your children, the Give the Gift of a Great Future website features plenty of resources to help parents with ideas on how to give back with their children.

I love the list of 10 tips that BGCA created to help parents teach their children the value of giving back, as they all strike a chord in a different and important way.

While we try to take part in as many of these as possible, I've been especially pleased with the way that we have been adding in more and more opportunities to volunteer together. I love being there in person to see my kids helping others!

As well as the helpful resources, BGCA includes a Kids Give Back photo contest, in which the public can browse and vote on their favorite picture of BGCA kids serving their communities...

...as well as an interactive Giving Game that is not only FREE to play, but donates a gift to a Club kid in less than 30 seconds!

Head over to the Give the Gift of a Great Future website now to find out more about how Boys & Girls Clubs of America can help remind all of us what it truly means to give today!

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Boys and Girls Clubs of America. I received a promotional item as a thank-you for participating.